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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. game — a match
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — the fish
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — low music
  23. pass — to spend time
  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