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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: stick · prune · game · nail · pitch · bowl · squash · current

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — wild animals
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — a match
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — completely
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. current — electric
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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