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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — in music
  5. spell — magic
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rock — music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — letters
  19. key — the most important part
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chip — for betting

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