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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — a match
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. game — wild animals

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