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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spell — magic
  7. scale — size or range
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — letters
  14. date — the fruit
  15. scale — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. plane — a tool
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bark — of a tree

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