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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — the tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. drill — army training
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. scale — in music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. drill — a practice
  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