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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: fall · wind · season · saw · mark · squash · mouse · bat

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. season — of the year
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — a trace

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