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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: kid · charge · scale · ground · season · rush · racket · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — child
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. kid — to tease
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ground — crushed
  13. charge — in control
  14. scale — in music
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. rest — a break
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. season — of the year

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