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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.

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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: net · pitcher · bowl · lash · current · cold · ball · bat

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. current — of water
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — in sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. current — electric
  22. net — after costs
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cold — not warm

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