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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: ground · cue · bat · pitch · ball · staff · cell · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. ground — a position
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — a phone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cue — a hint
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cue — a signal
  21. staff — employees
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — the earth

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