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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · shower · racket · current · squash · hand · staff · net

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — help
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — to wash
  8. current — of water
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. current — electric
  15. shower — rain
  16. net — after costs
  17. staff — a stick
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. staff — employees
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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