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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: pitcher · net · fine · bowl · lash · squash · capital · wound

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — the sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a city
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — all right
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. capital — a big letter

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