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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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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: pitch · rule · kid · squash · patient · mouse · lash · rest

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rule — government
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rule — a law
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kid — child
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — a break
  24. squash — the sport

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