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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 116 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: plane · hide · hand · snap · squash · rush · track · game

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. game — wild animals
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — a match
  6. plane — a tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — a path
  10. hand — in cards
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. track — a song
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — help
  24. plane — an aircraft

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