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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. season — in sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. arm — a part of something

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