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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.

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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: game · march · season · squash · club · wound · cue · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. club — for dancing
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — a group
  8. march — music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. season — in sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — a signal
  17. file — a tool
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. march — the month
  21. game — wild animals
  22. squash — to crush
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — an injury

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