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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: lash · game · net · season · ball · rest · leaves · band

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ball — a great time
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — of the year
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a music group
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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