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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: dip · squash · rock · wake · coach · sharp · rash · toast

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — bread
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rock — a stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. squash — the sport
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — on the skin

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