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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · rash · mate · pitch · racket · current · spell · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — a series
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — letters
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — of water
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. current — electric
  19. kid — child
  20. pitch — completely
  21. land — to come down
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rash — hasty

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