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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: arm · fan · ruler · shower · cold · bass · net · pitch

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — for catching
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — not warm
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. net — after costs
  22. cold — an illness
  23. net — in sport
  24. bass — low music

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