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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: hide · bowl · court · dip · pitcher · bat · wake · ground

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. court — of law
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ground — a position
  16. court — of a king
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bat — for baseball
  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