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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — in sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cold — an illness
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — not warm
  9. can — a tin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cue — for pool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. swing — music
  24. cue — a hint

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