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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: saw · season · mug · land · arm · lean · face · game

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — to bend
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mug — a face
  10. land — ground
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — to rob
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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