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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · key · arm · leaves · game · cap · mate · row

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. key — in music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. season — in sport
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. game — wild animals
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cap — a hat
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. key — for a lock
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cap — a lid
  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