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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 rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chest — a box
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. date — the fruit
  8. march — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. march — the month
  17. bat — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. field — a subject

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