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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 · ball · jam · hand · press · rash · squash · track

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. squash — to crush
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. season — in sport
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. press — to push
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hand — in cards
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. press — a publisher
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. ball — a dance
  24. hand — help

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