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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 just a dried plum.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. date — the fruit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — a hat
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fall — to drop
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. toast — bread
  15. cap — a lid
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. prune — to trim
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bass — the instrument

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