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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — finally
  5. date — the fruit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. deal — to handle
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. club — a group
  12. pop — soda
  13. club — for golf
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a document
  17. branch — a division
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pop — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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