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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — the cause
  4. bass — low music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chest — of your body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — in music
  24. arm — part of the body

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