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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 120 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: bat · fall · squash · straw · temple · saw · swing · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. swing — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fall — the season
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bat — the animal
  21. swing — to play on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fall — to drop

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