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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 · dip · band · last · rule · pass · arm · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. last — finally
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pass — a permit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. last — to go on
  19. band — a ring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — final
  24. date — on the calendar

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