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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. club — a group
  6. track — a song
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. swing — to play on
  15. date — the fruit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. swing — in golf
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. arm — a part of something

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