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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: squash · season · row · pop · swing · fork · present · ruler

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — there
  3. pop — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — to visit
  7. row — to paddle
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. present — the time now
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. present — a gift

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