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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hand — help
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rock — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bass — the fish
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to dunk

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