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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: bear · arm · rash · lie · season · squash · bay · file

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — of the year
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. file — a document
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rash — a series
  18. file — a tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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