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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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468
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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — letters
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — a series
  12. craft — a skill
  13. spell — magic
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. craft — boats
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wave — with your hand
  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