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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. drill — army training
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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