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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: mouse · mate · foot · pitch · spring · ruler · prune · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitch — completely
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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