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

Word bank: squash · net · bowl · tube · arm · pitch · kid · bay

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tube — a container
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. net — after costs
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kid — to tease
  16. squash — to crush
  17. net — for catching
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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