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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kid — child
  8. mate — to breed
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cell — in biology
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cell — a phone
  18. net — after costs
  19. bank — of a river
  20. net — in sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — for catching

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