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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. date — the fruit
  7. club — a group
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mark — a trace
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. club — for golf
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bat — the animal

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