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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: cold · bat · squash · scale · roll · can · pitch · pitcher

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — an illness
  6. roll — a list
  7. can — a tin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. scale — in music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitch — completely
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. roll — a cake

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