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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: racket · rush · plane · cold · suit · season · lash · ground

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cold — not warm
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. ground — crushed
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cold — an illness
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — of the year
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ground — a position
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. suit — to fit
  24. season — in sport

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