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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — of a river
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cue — a signal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cue — for pool
  13. hand — help
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. squash — to crush

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