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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: clip · can · arm · court · board · key · pitcher · bass

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. key — in music
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. board — to get on
  7. clip — to cut
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. court — of a king
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. key — for a lock
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitcher — a jug

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