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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
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: bat · track · arm · ball · mouse · pitch · mine · march

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. track — to keep track
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. track — a path
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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