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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: stick · can · bowl · squash · bat · lean · pitcher · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. squash — the sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — a tin

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