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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · row · game · land · season · nail · arm · stand

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. game — a match
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a line
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. land — ground
  17. kid — child
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stand — to bear
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kid — to tease

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