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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: season · row · club · coach · ground · mouse · squash · arm

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. season — in sport
  3. squash — the sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ground — a position
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — a line
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. squash — to crush
  17. club — for dancing
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ground — crushed
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. coach — a trainer

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