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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · wind · date · rash · mug · clip · arm · fan

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — a series
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — a video
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  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