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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: pitcher · rush · deal · stand · staff · season · rest · object

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rest — what's left
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — a thing
  14. season — in sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. object — an aim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — of the year
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rest — a break
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — to hurry

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