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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. object — an aim
  9. bass — low music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — a thing
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. object — to protest
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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