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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — to tease
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — a stick
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. staff — employees
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kid — child
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — low music
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. season — of the year
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — in sport
  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