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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. season — of the year
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kick — in football

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