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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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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 · kick · ground · chest · stand · key · pitcher · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ground — a position
  3. squash — to crush
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chest — a box
  11. rush — hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ground — crushed

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