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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: deal · stand · bat · wound · plane · pitch · squash · saw

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. plane — a tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. saw — the tool
  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