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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. season — of the year
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — a match
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spell — a short time
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mug — a face
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. season — in sport
  21. object — to protest
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — to rob

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