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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.

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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: deal · staff · spring · swing · ball · fall · season · kick

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fall — the season
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — in golf
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a great time
  16. kick — in football
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — to play on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. swing — music

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