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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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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 · toast · racket · stick · fan · hide · cold · fall

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fall — the season
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. toast — bread
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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