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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: rash · squash · mine · shower · object · court · racket · file

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. file — a line of people
  4. object — to protest
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. shower — rain
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — for digging
  17. court — of a king
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — for sport
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. file — a document
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rash — on the skin

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