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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bear — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — after costs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. net — for catching
  20. race — the arms race
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — in sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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