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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · toast · spring · stick · can · race · coach

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. rash — hasty
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spring — a coil
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — a series
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  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