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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — in an idiom

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