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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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · land · bass · coach · perch · arm · present · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — happening now
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — electric
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. current — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — the fish
  17. present — a gift
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. land — to come down
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — ground
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chest — a box

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