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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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Word bank
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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: mug · bat · rash · jam · date · club · craft · chest

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. club — a group
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. craft — boats
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. mug — to rob
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. club — for golf
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — a series
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chest — of your body
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — hasty
  24. date — the fruit

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