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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — of the year
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — in sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. season — in sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. net — after costs
  19. mark — a trace
  20. net — for catching
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitcher — a jug

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