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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rash — a series
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chest — a box
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rest — a break
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — hasty
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — of your 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