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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — in sport
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — there
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. present — the time now
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. present — a gift
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — the animal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hand — help
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — in cards

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