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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — certain
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. date — the fruit
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. toast — bread
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chest — of your body
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — temperature

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