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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: bass · pitcher · staff · net · arm · bat · court · track

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — a stick
  5. court — of a king
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a song
  15. court — of law
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. track — a path
  24. staff — employees

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