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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. craft — boats
  9. cue — a hint
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — a skill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hand — in cards
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tear — from crying

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