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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: coach · net · craft · rash · season · fine · shower · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. net — in sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — after costs

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