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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.

Make a worksheet

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: band · scale · season · bowl · snap · pitcher · rash · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. band — a ring
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. scale — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. band — a music group
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kick — in football
  24. rash — a series

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