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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: bass · bat · present · temple · arm · jam · press · court

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — a gift
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bass — low music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of law
  20. press — to push
  21. bat — the animal
  22. present — there
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bat — for baseball

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