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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 116 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: game · squash · bat · fine · lie · dip · bass · wound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. squash — the sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — a match
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bass — low music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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