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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. drill — army training
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. season — in sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. drill — the tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. spring — a coil
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. spring — of water

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