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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: file · toast · object · field · trunk · season · content · arm

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. content — the amount
  6. season — of the year
  7. file — a line of people
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. field — for sport
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. file — a document
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. object — an aim
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. content — happy
  21. object — a thing
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. toast — bread
  24. file — a tool

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