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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · ball · coach · rush · file · last · game · staff

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a great time
  4. last — finally
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. last — to go on
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. staff — a stick
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a dance
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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