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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: hand · kid · season · game · jam · fall · toast · squash

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. toast — bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — in sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. kid — child
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. season — of the year
  23. game — a match
  24. squash — the vegetable

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