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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 120 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: season · ball · kick · fall · kid · bore · ground · rash

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — of the year
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bore — to drill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kid — child
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fall — the season
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — in sport
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ground — the earth

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