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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: bat · net · pitcher · cue · bear · spell · racket · squash

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. squash — to crush
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — in sport

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