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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. club — for golf
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — a group
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ball — a great time
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. club — for dancing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com