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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · net · jam · arm · rest · kick

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rest — a break
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — low music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — in football

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