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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · cap · plane · swing · pitcher · court · racket · mine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — a lid
  4. swing — to play on
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. court — of a king
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — of ice
  13. court — of law
  14. swing — music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — for sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bowl — to roll

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