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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: squash · hide · face · wax · chip · racket · race · can

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. race — a contest
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chip — for betting
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — to be able to
  14. squash — the sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — to point toward
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. race — the arms race

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