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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bore — to drill
  13. kick — in football
  14. season — of the year
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bore — gave birth

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