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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bound — certain
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — help
  17. rule — government
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rule — a law
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ball — a dance

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