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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: object · ball · wake · wave · bat · firm · pitch · straw

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. firm — a company
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. object — to protest
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. firm — decided
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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