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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — a law
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — a company
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. firm — steady
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — the month
  13. firm — decided
  14. march — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rule — government
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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