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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — certain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. club — for golf
  6. cue — a hint
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cue — a signal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — a path
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. date — the fruit
  18. track — a song
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cue — for pool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. track — to keep track
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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