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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.

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 · saw · bay · squash · foot · hand · pitch · net

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitch — completely
  6. net — in sport
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — help
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — for catching
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bat — in an idiom

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