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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 116 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: mark · bat · drill · rash · squash · pitcher · tube · kid

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — to tease
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mark — a grade
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — a series
  9. drill — army training
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — a container
  16. squash — the sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kid — child
  24. pitcher — a jug

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