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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 · season · cue · rash · swing · kid · lash · temple

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — of the year
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rash — a series
  12. wind — moving air
  13. swing — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cue — a hint
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kid — child
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. season — in sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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