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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: stand · snap · squash · pitcher · rush · scale · rash · pit

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — hasty
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. snap — to click
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pit — in a race
  23. scale — in music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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