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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · foot · rest · scale · pass · shower · arm · bear

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bear — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. scale — size or range
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. shower — rain
  23. scale — in music
  24. date — the fruit

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