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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 120 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
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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: fall · scale · present · arm · shower · season · content · rest

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. present — the time now
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — a gift
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — rain
  8. season — of the year
  9. content — happy
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — in sport
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — the amount
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — a break
  21. present — there
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — videos and posts

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