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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: season · pitcher · fan · hand · date · mark · object · squash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. object — a thing
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — of the year
  10. mark — a grade
  11. squash — the sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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