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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 · coach · bat · squash · racket · wound · object · season

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wound — an injury
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. object — to protest
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. object — an aim
  9. bat — the animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — a thing
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. season — in sport

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