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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. content — the amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. content — happy
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a ring
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — boats
  23. date — the fruit
  24. content — videos and posts

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