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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: ball · shower · bat · bass · stand · roll · pitch · bowl

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — low music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. shower — rain
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stand — to bear
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bat — the animal

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