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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: date · saw · hide · straw · season · rock · mouse · racket

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. date — on the calendar

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