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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: racket · rest · safe · cap · kid · season · hand · bore

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bore — to tire
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. season — of the year
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — in sport
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rest — a break
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — help

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