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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: bat · rash · jam · mate · object · season · bark · spell

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bark — to shout
  8. object — a thing
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spell — a short time
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rash — a series
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mate — to breed
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. bat — for baseball

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