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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — a group
  4. tube — a container
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. firm — decided
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. firm — steady
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — for digging
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mine — an explosive

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