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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: jam · sharp · race · cabinet · squash · season · saw · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the sport
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. squash — to crush
  6. season — of the year
  7. race — humankind
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — in sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. sharp — clever

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