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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — of water
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. present — the time now
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ball — a great time
  9. present — there
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — a gift
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spring — the season
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bass — low music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. suit — to fit
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bass — the fish

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