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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
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: net · season · present · game · arm · scale · tear · rash

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. net — for catching
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. present — a gift
  6. scale — size or range
  7. net — after costs
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — there
  13. game — a match
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. season — in sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — hasty
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — the time now
  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