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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: net · chip · fan · squash · hide · lash · straw · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. net — for catching
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — of the year
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. net — in sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — for betting
  23. net — after costs
  24. squash — to crush

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