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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: current · squash · straw · key · game · fine · wave · season

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. squash — the sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. current — happening now
  7. game — a match
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. current — electric
  12. season — of the year
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. squash — to crush
  20. key — for a lock
  21. current — of water
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. game — wild animals

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