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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 124 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bass — low music
  5. tube — a container
  6. file — a tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. file — a document
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — of the year
  12. tube — the underground
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. row — a line
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bass — the fish
  20. march — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. march — the month

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