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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.

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: chip · leaves · cold · saw · cue · bass · spell · arm

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spell — letters
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cue — for pool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bass — low music

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