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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — the earth
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — of the year
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. season — in sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — child
  20. can — a tin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — hasty

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