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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spell — magic
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pound — a weight
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — a gift
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — letters
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. chair — a professorship

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