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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 116 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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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: cell · patient · season · racket · mouse · ball · ground · rush

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ball — a dance
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. ground — the earth

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