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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cue — for pool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. season — in sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. scale — in music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — of the year
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — to add flavour

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