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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — finally
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cold — an illness
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — the amount
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. season — in sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. last — final
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. last — to go on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — in sport
  23. content — happy
  24. net — after costs

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