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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: squash · bat · ball · net · rock · chair · row · pitcher

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. row — a line
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — after costs
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. chair — to sit on

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