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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 · can · arm · date · cell · bat · cold · bass

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cold — an illness
  5. object — to protest
  6. bass — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cell — in biology
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. date — the fruit

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