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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: rush · lash · rest · straw · chair · mate · court · season

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — for sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — in sport
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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