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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — a practice
  7. season — of the year
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — help
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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