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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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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: last · bore · lash · ball · cold · arm · fan · season

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — to go on
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — final
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — of the year
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. last — finally

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