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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · game · bay · club · straw · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rest — a break
  5. club — a group
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. squash — to crush
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. game — a match
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. club — for golf
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rest — what's left

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