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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — of the year
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rash — hasty
  9. suit — to fit
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. drill — army training
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. drill — the tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a document
  19. suit — clothes
  20. game — wild animals
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a line of people
  24. season — in sport

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