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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 116 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: rash · season · squash · clip · bay · kid · ball · perch

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ball — a dance
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rash — hasty
  15. season — in sport
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ball — a round shape

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