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

Word bank: fall · firm · kid · ball · saw · wave · season · arm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. firm — steady
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. firm — decided
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — of the year
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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