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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
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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: mate · hand · lie · season · bear · arm · content · date

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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 — of the year
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — happy
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lie — to recline
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mate — a partner
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. content — the amount
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. date — the fruit
  24. arm — part of the body

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