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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: pit · ground · bowl · club · wound · bat · ball · mate

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ball — a dance
  4. club — a group
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a great time
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. club — for golf
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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