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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: lash · rule · coach · squash · perch · shower · stick · pitch

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitch — completely
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — rain
  15. squash — the sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rule — government
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rule — a law

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