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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. snap — to click
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lie — to recline
  14. charge — in control
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. charge — a price
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mate — a friend

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