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

Word bank: racket · ball · kick · rest · wind · season

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rest — a break
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wind — moving air

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