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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: object · fine · root · arm · last · game · bass · charge

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — final
  5. object — to protest
  6. fine — all right
  7. charge — a price
  8. object — a thing
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — an aim
  11. game — a match
  12. charge — in control
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — the cause
  18. charge — electricity
  19. root — of a word
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — finally
  24. fine — a penalty

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