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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: season · rush · roll · deal · club · stick · race · sharp

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. club — a group
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. club — for golf
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. roll — a list
  11. deal — to handle
  12. club — for dancing
  13. season — in sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. roll — a cake
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rush — hurry
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. race — humankind
  20. sharp — clever
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. race — a contest

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