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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — the cause
  3. firm — steady
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. firm — a company
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. date — the fruit
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — a permit
  16. root — of a plant
  17. firm — decided
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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