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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bank — for money
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitch — completely
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bank — of a river
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — for catching

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