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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: ground · racket · bowl · season · content · toast · rash · mouse

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — the earth
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — a series
  17. toast — bread
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. season — to add flavour

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