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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · date · season · bat · arm · squash · bulb · pitch

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stand — to bear
  8. season — in sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — to crush
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. date — the fruit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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