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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 120 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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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: deal · season · lash · cold · pitch · board · squash · bear

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. season — of the year
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cold — not warm
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. board — a committee
  18. squash — to crush
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. season — in sport
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bear — the animal

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