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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: mate · fork · last · chip · cell · date · arm · capital

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. date — the fruit
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cell — a phone
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — money
  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