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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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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: hand · pass · toast · bat · kick · object · kid · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — of the year
  4. toast — bread
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. hand — help
  11. object — to protest
  12. kid — child
  13. object — an aim
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — in sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. object — a thing

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