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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. season — of the year
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  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