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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — to come from
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. season — in sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. season — of the year
  20. fine — all right
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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