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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hand — help
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bass — low music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — not warm
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — the fish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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