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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: squash · arm · object · hand · racket · lash · season · date

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. object — a thing
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — to protest
  10. squash — to crush
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. date — the fruit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — in sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — in cards
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. object — an aim
  24. season — to add flavour

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