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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: squash · hide · march · date · racket · pound · chest · last

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chest — a box
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pound — a weight
  12. march — music
  13. date — the fruit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — final
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — to hit hard

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