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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: saw · shower · season · squash · last · mine · cue · present

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — for pool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — in sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — rain
  10. present — there
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mine — for digging
  16. last — to go on
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — a gift
  19. cue — a hint
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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