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

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. present — a gift
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. season — in sport
  10. present — there
  11. rash — a series
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — the time now
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. last — finally
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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