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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — in music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. shower — rain
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — hurry
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bass — low music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rush — a thrill

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