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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: present · land · mark · pitcher · racket · season · rush · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. present — the time now
  7. mark — a grade
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — of the year
  17. land — ground
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. present — there
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — a country
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. season — in sport

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