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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 · rest · prune · current · pitch · squash · sharp · straw

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — to crush
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. current — of water
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. current — electric
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. squash — the sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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