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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. band — a ring
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. charge — in control
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — to crush
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. charge — electricity
  16. band — a music group
  17. charge — a price
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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