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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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Word bank
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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — wild animals
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ball — a great time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — a grade
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mark — a trace
  21. game — a match
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. season — of the year
  24. bore — to drill

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