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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: cold · coach · ground · rush · pitcher · swing · squash · lash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ground — the earth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rush — hurry
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pitcher — a jug

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