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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: arm · cold · firm · charge · perch · spell · mine · season

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. charge — in control
  4. firm — a company
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. perch — the fish
  9. season — in sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. charge — a price
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — of the year
  16. cold — not warm
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. firm — steady
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. firm — decided
  24. spell — letters

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