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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: racket · squash · rush · coach · pitcher · cap · tear · rash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — a lid
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cap — of ice
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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