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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 · straw · board · mark · last · land · kid · rash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — a series
  3. land — to come down
  4. rash — hasty
  5. squash — the sport
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. last — to go on
  9. land — a country
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mark — a grade
  12. last — final
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a committee
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. last — finally
  23. board — to get on
  24. mark — a trace

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