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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: stand · cell · rock · rash · squash · saw · sharp · season

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rash — a series
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — of the year
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — clever
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cell — in biology
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. season — in sport
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rock — music

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