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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: bass · sharp · foot · chest · dip · spell · arm · mug

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — to rob
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spell — letters
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bass — low music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mug — a face
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. dip — to sink
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — magic
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mug — a cup
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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