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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · season · straw · squash · file · foot · leaves · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. season — of the year
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. file — a document
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. file — a tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. game — wild animals
  18. foot — a measure
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. game — a match
  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