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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. date — the fruit
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rock — a stone
  6. field — farmland
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. field — a subject
  9. rock — music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. roll — a list
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. field — for sport
  24. arm — part of the body

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