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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — a series
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — shares
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — hasty
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — hurry
  24. nail — on a finger

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