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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: season · kick · spring · rash · bass · deal · pitch · lash

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bass — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitch — completely
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — of the year
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spring — the season
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. kick — in football
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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