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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. board — a committee
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a ring
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. band — a music group
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. plane — a tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. foot — a measure
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. board — to get on
  24. foot — the bottom

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