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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 120 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: lean · season · racket · last · ruler · rest · hand · mark

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — help
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rest — a break
  8. mark — a trace
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — final
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — of the year
  24. lean — thin

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