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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 120 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: stick · prune · deal · cabinet · squash · pitch · lash · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. game — a match
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. prune — to trim
  24. deal — an agreement

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