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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. season — in sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — a leader
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bat — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rash — a series
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bulb — for light

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