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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · wave · pitcher · field · fan · squash · ball · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. field — farmland
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. field — a subject
  24. squash — to crush

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