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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. club — a group
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — the fish
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. content — the amount
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. club — for dancing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. content — happy
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — low music
  24. jam — a tight spot

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