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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. court — of a king
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — the fish
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bass — low music
  12. rest — a break
  13. cell — in biology
  14. court — of law
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bass — the instrument

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