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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.

Make a worksheet

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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. season — of the year
  2. kick — in football
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. shower — to wash
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — rain
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — there
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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