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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: pass · roll · wake · foot · season · racket · wind · chest

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pass — a permit
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — to turn a key

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