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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: hand · squash · cue · hide · coach · ground · plane · last

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — a position
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cue — a signal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — finally
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — to go on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. plane — a tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — crushed
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — help
  24. last — final

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