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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. rash — hasty
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — letters
  17. season — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spell — magic
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rash — a series

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