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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · wake · season · net · kid · rash

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — a trail
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — hasty
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. net — in sport
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — of the year
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — a series
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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