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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 120 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: row · racket · squash · pitch · foot · pitcher · kick · hand

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — a line
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hand — in cards
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — to paddle
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hand — help

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