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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — low music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. object — to protest
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — an aim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of a king
  15. bark — to shout
  16. court — for sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — of law
  22. press — to push
  23. arm — part of the body
  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