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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: rest · arm · bat · content · object · bass · swing · rock

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bass — the fish
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. object — an aim
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. object — to protest
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — a break
  24. object — a thing

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