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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. content — happy
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cue — a signal
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — low music
  13. content — the amount
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. land — a country
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — the earth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — a position
  24. land — ground

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