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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: wound · fine · hand · face · season · toast · cue · arm

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. face — to confront
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cue — a signal
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fine — all right
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cue — for pool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. toast — bread
  24. face — to point toward

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