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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: wake · pitcher · temple · dip · nail · march · bat · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — to sink
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — a trail
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. squash — to crush
  24. dip — a sauce

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