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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: season · object · coach · race · kid · squash · rock · hide

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rock — music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. object — to protest
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — the arms race
  10. squash — to crush
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — an aim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — in sport
  16. object — a thing
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. season — of the year
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. kid — child
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. squash — the sport

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