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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — help
  9. present — a gift
  10. game — a match
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mug — a face
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — the time now
  24. mouse — the animal

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