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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: drill · pitch · bat · band · foot · pass · leaves · squash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a ring
  5. squash — to crush
  6. band — a music group
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. drill — army training
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. foot — a measure
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. drill — a practice
  24. leaves — of a tree

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