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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.

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: charge · can · bat · bore · rash · season · racket · bowl

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. rash — hasty
  2. can — a tin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bat — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — in sport
  17. charge — a price
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — of the year
  22. charge — in control
  23. season — to add flavour
  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