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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: rash · coach · squash · file · date · pitcher · wound · board

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — the sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a document
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rash — a series
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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