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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — in football
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. face — part of the head
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. club — for golf
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. face — to confront
  22. band — a ring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — a container

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