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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: sharp · wound · hide · squash · staff · face · present · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. face — to confront
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. present — there
  12. squash — the sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — the time now
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — to crush
  24. present — a gift

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