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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. deal — to handle
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. racket — for tennis

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