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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.

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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: roll · date · bank · mouse · swing · bat · pitcher · capital

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. swing — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — in golf
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a city
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mouse — the animal
  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