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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fork — in a road
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — to go on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. sharp — clever
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — final
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fork — a garden tool

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