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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · last · season · rash · roll · scale · straw · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. season — of the year
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. present — there
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. roll — a cake
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. last — to go on
  11. present — the time now
  12. last — finally
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. season — in sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. scale — in music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — final
  23. roll — a list
  24. scale — for weighing

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