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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · chip · calf · chair · chest · squash · season · ball

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. squash — to crush
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chest — a box
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — to eat
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wake — a trail

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