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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · pitcher · squash · mouse · rush · mate · lean · chest

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chest — a box
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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