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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: arm · cue · bat · land · bound · press · last · date

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. date — the fruit
  9. land — a country
  10. press — to push
  11. cue — for pool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — ground
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — to come down
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cue — a signal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. arm — part of the body

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