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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. suit — to fit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. last — finally
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spell — letters
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fine — high quality
  11. spell — a short time
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fine — all right
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. suit — in cards
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. suit — clothes
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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