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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: rash · wound · season · capital · mate · kick · hand · rest

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rash — a series
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kick — in football
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rest — a break
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. capital — a city
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — hasty

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