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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 120 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: lean · arm · season · pop · racket · board · mug · cap

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mug — a face
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — to get on
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mug — to rob
  19. season — in sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. cap — a lid

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