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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cue — for pool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — the sport
  8. roll — a cake
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cue — a signal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. roll — a list
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hide — animal skin

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