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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: season · stick · arm · tube · march · spell · file · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — a container
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — of the year
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spell — letters
  15. mug — to rob
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spell — magic

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