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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: pitcher · mouse · capital · march · firm · trunk · bat · bowl

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. capital — a city
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. capital — money
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. firm — steady
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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