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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 · season · lash · kick · wound · court · file · pitch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. file — a document
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. file — a line of people
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitch — completely
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — a thrill
  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