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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: bat · drill · season · squash · wave · suit · row · rash

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. row — a line
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — a series
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. row — to paddle

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