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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rest — a break
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. degree — an amount
  8. face — to confront
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — the fruit
  17. degree — temperature
  18. face — to point toward
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — what's left

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