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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: leaves · last · bowl · season · racket · net · arm · cue

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. net — after costs
  24. racket — for tennis

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