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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. scale — size or range
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. vault — a safe
  12. scale — in music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bass — low music
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kick — in football
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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