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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. track — a song
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. snap — to click
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. charge — electricity
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. charge — a price
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — a path
  18. bass — the fish
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — to keep track
  21. race — humankind
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — a contest
  24. charge — in control

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