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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 120 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: wind · fine · mate · kick · racket · season · bear · chip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. season — of the year
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fine — all right
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mate — a friend
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fine — high quality
  24. racket — for tennis

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