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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: snap · bass · arm · game · content · net · ruler · court

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — after costs
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. net — for catching
  22. game — wild animals
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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