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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: kick · mine · kid · fan · racket · season · saw · squash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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