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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. foot — a measure
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — a position
  6. file — a document
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a line of people
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. date — the fruit
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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