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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chest — a box
  4. field — farmland
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — for sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. field — for sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. court — of a king
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — low music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bass — the fish
  20. field — a subject
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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