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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: mate · march · cabinet · spring · hide · chair · season · rash

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — in sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spring — the season
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rash — a series
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mate — a partner

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