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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: squash · pitcher · club · wake · dip · cap · swing · roll

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. roll — a list
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. swing — in golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. swing — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wake — a trail
  20. squash — to crush
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cap — a lid
  23. roll — a cake
  24. club — a group

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