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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: pitcher · bass · degree · arm · bay · pound · bulb · kid

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kid — child
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bass — low music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. degree — an amount
  17. kid — to tease
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — from a university
  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