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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: season · rush · band · sharp · net · kick · date · object

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. object — an aim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. band — a ring
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. object — a thing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. object — to protest
  24. kick — in football

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