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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: present · ball · pitcher · firm · bat · swing · rule · drill

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. firm — steady
  3. swing — music
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — the time now
  9. firm — decided
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rule — government
  12. present — a gift
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rule — a law
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — army training
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. present — there

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