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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 120 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
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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: cabinet · season · wake · plane · court · kid · fan · squash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — to tease
  5. season — in sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kid — child
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. squash — to crush
  20. season — of the year
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. court — of law

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