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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. club — a group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mate — a friend
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. club — for golf
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. roll — a list
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mate — to breed

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