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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: arm · game · ground · ruler · lean · rush · squash · pitch

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. lean — thin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. game — wild animals

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