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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: ball · kid · coach · race · squash · mate · game · hide

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — wild animals
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — to tease
  10. race — humankind
  11. mate — to breed
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kid — child
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. race — a contest

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