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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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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: mouse · ruler · ball · bass · content · hand · arm · race

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. race — a contest
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bass — low music
  6. content — the amount
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. race — the arms race
  9. content — happy
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. race — humankind
  24. hand — help

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