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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · pitcher · swing · straw · can · squash · band · stick

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. swing — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — to play on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. swing — in golf

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