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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: bowl · toast · wound · season · arm · track · pit · game

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pit — in a race
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. season — in sport
  7. game — a match
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pit — a hole
  11. toast — bread
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. track — a path
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — a song
  20. season — of the year
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — to roll

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