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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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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 · field · plane · arm · rest · cue · cell · chair

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rest — a break
  8. season — of the year
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. field — farmland
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. field — a subject
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. arm — a part of something

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