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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: pit · season · wound · sharp · row · bay · rash · net

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — in a race
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rash — a series
  16. net — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pit — a hole
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. sharp — clever

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