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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a ring
  4. suit — clothes
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. suit — in cards
  8. date — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. band — a music group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — for betting
  18. swing — to play on
  19. chip — to eat
  20. swing — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — for a hammer

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