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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chest — a box
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a great time

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