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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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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: racket · bat · craft · swing · club · ground · rash · bowl

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — a group
  9. craft — a skill
  10. ground — a position
  11. club — for golf
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — boats
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ground — the earth
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — crushed

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