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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. last — final
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — child
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. deal — to handle
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. last — to go on

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