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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. game — a match
  3. roll — a list
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ball — a dance
  8. roll — a cake
  9. ball — a great time
  10. season — in sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — ground
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — a break

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