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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: pitch · ball · shower · wake · bark · bat · racket · saw

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — to shout
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ball — a dance
  23. shower — to wash
  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