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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — a partner
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wake — a trail
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — a video
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mate — to breed
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fine — high quality
  24. arm — part of the body

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