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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bass — low music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — the fish
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — to confront
  14. swing — music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chest — a box
  17. swing — in golf
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bear — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — part of the head

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