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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: bear · sharp · pitch · coach · saw · bat · track · swing

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. swing — in golf
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. swing — to play on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. sharp — exactly

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