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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 · key · bass · lash · squash · fan · march · season

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. game — wild animals
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. march — music
  24. bass — the fish

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