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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 · rest · pitcher · pass · chest · mate · pitch · row

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mate — to breed
  8. row — to paddle
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chest — of your body

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