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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: hide · bat · coach · squash · rush · key · mine · rash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — a series
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. key — in music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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