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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: fan · capital · date · pit · club · arm · pound · foot

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. club — for dancing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. club — for golf
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. date — the fruit
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pit — a hole
  19. capital — money
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. capital — a city

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