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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.

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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: bowl · arm · club · bank · last · season · mate · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. foot — a measure
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bank — for money
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. club — for dancing
  15. season — of the year
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — finally
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. last — final
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. foot — the bottom

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