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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 120 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: pitcher · field · capital · ball · row · club · bowl · wound

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. field — a subject
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — farmland
  10. row — a line
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — money
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bowl — a football final

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