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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hide · stock · chair · swing · racket · mate · rash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stock — goods
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — a partner
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. swing — music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stock — shares
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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