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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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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 · squash · chip · plane · race · lash · shower · rule

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. race — a contest
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rule — government
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. race — humankind
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chip — to eat
  21. squash — the sport
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. plane — an aircraft

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