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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: plane · swing · bowl · stock · degree · pitcher · squash · mark

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. swing — to play on
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mark — a trace
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. swing — music
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stock — shares
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mark — a grade
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — a dish

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