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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.

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: ball · march · arm · bay · row · season · cell · bound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ball — a dance
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. march — the month
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. ball — a great time
  16. march — the month
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a round shape

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