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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bass — low music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. snap — to click
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fork — in a road

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