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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: mouse · rest · fan · spell · arm · season · land · cue

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — a break
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spell — letters
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. season — of the year
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — magic
  20. land — to come down
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. season — in sport

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