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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 · lean · cue · coach · pitch · hand · rush · wound

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rush — hurry
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lean — to bend
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lean — thin
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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