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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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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: snap · pitch · cue · cold · lie · ground · chair · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. snap — to click
  24. ground — a position

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