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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: squash · lash · pitch · can · rush · chair · mug · pitcher

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mug — a cup
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — hurry
  24. squash — to crush

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