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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rash — a series
  14. kid — child
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — in football
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. arm — a part of something

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