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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 116 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: bat · net · spell · lash · pitcher · fine · cue · straw

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fine — all right
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spell — a short time
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — high quality
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cue — a signal
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. spell — letters
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitcher — a jug

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