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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: land · chip · calf · arm · wound · rest · fine · season

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chip — to eat
  3. land — ground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — for betting
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. fine — all right
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — of the year
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. season — in sport
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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