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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. firm — steady
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — a gift
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. present — there
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. present — the time now
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — a weight
  21. firm — decided
  22. mine — for digging
  23. firm — a company
  24. date — the fruit

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