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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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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: board · firm · arm · pop · bat · hand · present · bass

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. firm — a company
  4. present — a gift
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — low music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — the time now
  10. pop — music
  11. present — there
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. board — to get on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. firm — decided
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — steady
  21. board — a committee
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pop — soda
  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