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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 116 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 · rush · ball · mark · kid · wind · chip · kick

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chip — for betting
  3. ball — a dance
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mark — a trace
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kid — child
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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