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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: squash · file · mine · season · shower · object · scale · kid

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. season — in sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. object — a thing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — for digging
  14. file — a line of people
  15. object — an aim
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. season — of the year
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. object — to protest
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. file — a tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — in music
  24. mine — an explosive

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