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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: rush · cap · season · mate · can · rash · hand · wound

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. season — of the year
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — help
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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