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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 · racket · cabinet · ground · nail · hand · pitch

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ground — a position
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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