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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: bat · temple · dip · pitch · ruler · bowl · pitcher · capital

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. capital — money
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. capital — a city
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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