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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: content · club · rash · safe · rush · hand · season · ground

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ground — crushed
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. content — happy
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ground — a position
  10. rash — a series
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — help
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — hurry
  16. season — in sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. hand — in cards
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. club — a group

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