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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. season — of the year
  7. field — farmland
  8. pass — a permit
  9. field — a subject
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. present — a gift
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. hand — help
  19. present — there
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. field — for sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — hurry

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