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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: bulb · bat · club · wind · suit · lie · season · ball

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — the animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ball — a dance
  15. club — a group
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for golf
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — in cards

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