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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: arm · fall · game · kid · mate · band · season · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. band — a ring
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — a match
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a music group
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — the season
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mate — a friend
  19. kid — to tease
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — wild animals
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. game — a kind of play

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