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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rash — a series
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. season — of the year
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — to confront
  13. ball — a great time
  14. face — part of the head
  15. season — in sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — on a finger

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