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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
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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: wave · hand · race · game · perch · rash · season · chest

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — wild animals
  6. season — of the year
  7. race — humankind
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — the arms race
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. season — in sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. race — a contest
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hand — help
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. chest — a box
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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