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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.

Make a worksheet

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: squash · season · bay · spell · firm · ball · wind · leaves

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — letters
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. firm — a company
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. firm — decided
  21. squash — to crush
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

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