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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — of the year
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. season — in sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — a tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. racket — a loud noise

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