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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: wave · club · rash · track · season · mate · rush · ball

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — a partner
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — a song
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. club — for golf
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ball — a great time
  13. season — in sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ball — a dance
  20. club — a group
  21. rash — a series
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a round shape

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