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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: mouse · pitch · season · bore · court · rash · pass · rush

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pass — a permit
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — of law
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rush — hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bore — to drill
  18. court — for sport
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. season — of the year
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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