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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
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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: roll · mine · season · dip · shower · arm · deal · kid

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — to handle
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. roll — a list
  8. shower — rain
  9. kid — child
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. season — of the year
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — in sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. kid — to tease
  24. dip — to dunk

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