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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: land · bowl · season · chest · ground · arm · toast · fan

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. land — a country
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. ground — a position
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. chest — a box
  12. toast — bread
  13. land — to come down
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. season — in sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — crushed

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