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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. date — the fruit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. club — a group
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mate — a friend
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mate — a partner
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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