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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — a video
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. clip — to cut
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — a break
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fork — in a road
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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