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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — in sport
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ball — a dance
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — a series
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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