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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: content · spring · game · squash · kid · season · arm · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. season — of the year
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — a coil
  5. content — the amount
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — of water
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. squash — the sport
  18. game — a match
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kid — child
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. content — happy
  24. season — in sport

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