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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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Word bank
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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: squash · rock · deal · staff · clip · mate · coach · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. staff — a stick
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mate — to breed
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rock — a stone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mate — a partner
  16. season — in sport
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — a video

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