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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. tube — a container
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bass — low music
  17. staff — employees
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ground — the earth
  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