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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: pitcher · squash · drill · pop · pitch · staff · lean · hand

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to bend
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pop — soda
  7. drill — army training
  8. pop — to visit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitch — completely

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