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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: mouse · squash · bat · board · stand · bowl · shower · game

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — wild animals
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stand — to bear
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a match
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bowl — to roll

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