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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.

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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: bat · ground · race · bowl · staff · stick · mouse · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. race — a contest
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. race — humankind
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — a position
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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