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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 116 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: swing · racket · fork · bowl · squash · court · wave · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the sport
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. swing — music
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. court — for sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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