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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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Word bank
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — hasty
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wound — an injury
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — of the year
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. rash — a series
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — to spend time

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