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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · cell · rush · pit · rash · season · plane · racket

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cell — in biology
  4. season — in sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — of the year
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pit — a hole
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — a series
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — the fish

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