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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — thin
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to bend
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bass — the instrument

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