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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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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: wind · bark · rash · kid · court · season · safe · bay

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — child
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. season — in sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — of the year
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. court — of law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — to add flavour

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