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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. can — a tin
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stand — to bear
  19. toast — bread
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chair — a leader
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stand — for spectators

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