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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: season · squash · date · ball · club · roll · cabinet · mine

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. club — a group
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ball — a dance
  20. roll — a list
  21. ball — a great time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. season — in sport
  24. mine — an explosive

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