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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: pitch · bowl · wound · object · bat · shower · pop · bound

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. object — a thing
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — music
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. object — an aim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — soda
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — rain
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  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