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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 120 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: net · pitcher · plane · bound · bat · cue · cap · squash

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cap — of ice
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — in sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cue — a hint
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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