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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.

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: racket · bass · mouse · squash · hand · stem · pitch · wound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hand — in cards
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. hand — help
  18. bass — low music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the fish

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