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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 · mine · club · band · spell · toast · pitch · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. band — a music group
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — letters
  7. toast — bread
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. club — for dancing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — completely
  14. date — the fruit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. club — for golf
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. club — a group
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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