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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · tube · bowl · bass · file · bat · bulb · ball

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bass — low music
  11. tube — a container
  12. file — a document
  13. ball — a dance
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. file — a line of people

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