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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · current · arm · march · key · field · bass · kid

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. current — happening now
  6. march — music
  7. field — farmland
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. current — electric
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — low music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hand — help
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. hand — in cards
  24. key — for a lock

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