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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 116 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: pit · rash · fan · straw · mouse · squash · ball · last

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — final
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — to go on
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — dry grass

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