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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: bark · season · game · arm · mine · chair · wave · kick

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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