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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.

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: fan · bay · swing · squash · roll · drill · rock · cold

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — a stone
  4. drill — army training
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. roll — a list
  12. rock — music
  13. swing — music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. roll — a cake
  16. swing — to play on
  17. drill — the tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. squash — the sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cold — an illness
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rock — to move gently

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