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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lean — thin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. suit — to fit
  11. swing — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — clothes
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. swing — in golf
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lean — to bend
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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