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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 · plane · hide · game · bear · rush · march · kid

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bear — the animal

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