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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. current — of water
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. roll — a list
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fine — high quality
  13. band — a music group
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. current — electric
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. mine — for digging
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. roll — a cake
  23. current — happening now
  24. bass — the fish

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