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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.

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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: fan · rash · mug · pit · club · straw · squash · track

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mug — a cup
  4. club — for golf
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. club — a group
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a path
  17. squash — to crush
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mug — a face
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pit — a hole
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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