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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
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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: season · straw · club · scale · mine · stick · squash · chip

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. season — of the year
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. club — a group
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. club — for golf
  23. chip — to eat
  24. season — in sport

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