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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — in cards
  10. toast — bread
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. suit — clothes
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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