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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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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: squash · straw · deal · season · patient · bay · kid · cold

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — in sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. season — of the year
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cold — an illness
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. straw — dry grass

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