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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: pound · bat · pitcher · roll · object · swing · kick · ground

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. object — an aim
  7. kick — in football
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. roll — a list
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. roll — a cake
  14. ground — a position
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bat — the animal
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. swing — in golf
  22. object — to protest
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ground — crushed

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