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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: mine · tear · racket · stock · hide · rash · kick · squash

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — a series
  4. mine — for digging
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — goods
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — shares
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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