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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. sharp — clever
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. charge — electricity
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — a price
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. craft — boats
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. charge — in control
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — child
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chair — a leader
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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