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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. club — a group
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — for catching
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — in sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — final
  15. face — part of the head
  16. last — to go on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. last — finally
  19. craft — boats
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. face — to confront
  24. club — for golf

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