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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — wild animals
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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