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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. kick — in football
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. kick — with a leg

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