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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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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: cell · dip · squash · bass · vault · bat · court · pitch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. vault — a safe
  9. squash — to crush
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. court — of a king
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitch — completely
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bass — low music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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