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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: roll · cold · squash · nail · mate · calf · rush · hide

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — to crush
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rush — a thrill

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