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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — a path
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. season — in sport
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — to breed
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. track — a song
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. squash — to crush

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