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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: racket · swing · mug · roll · field · pitcher · scale · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. field — farmland
  6. swing — music
  7. scale — in music
  8. mug — a face
  9. field — for sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mug — a cup
  12. roll — a list
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — to play on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — size or range
  24. field — a subject

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