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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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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 · trunk · board · row · bat · mark · bowl · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. row — a line
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. board — a committee
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. board — to get on
  21. mark — a grade
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — for baseball

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