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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: bat · squash · ball · jam · pitcher · cell · safe · fall

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — the sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fall — to drop
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ball — a great time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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