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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. swing — music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. tear — to rip
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — humankind
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. race — a contest
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — of the year
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — hurry

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