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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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Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spell — magic
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spell — a short time
  16. season — in sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — a series
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — side of the head

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