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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ground — a position
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — in sport
  8. club — for golf
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bass — the fish
  11. shower — to wash
  12. club — a group
  13. ground — the earth
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. shower — rain
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bear — the animal

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