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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: net · patient · bat · deal · leaves · roll · rest · season

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. season — of the year
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. roll — a cake
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. roll — a list
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. leaves — to go away

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