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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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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: can · race · stand · bat · wound · bulb · swing · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — for light
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. race — a contest
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. race — humankind
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bat — for baseball

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