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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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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: sharp · race · ball · season · kid · suit · rest · wind

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — a contest
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — of the year
  11. kid — child
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ball — a dance
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — in sport
  18. suit — in cards
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rest — a break
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a great time

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