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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.

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: pitch · kid · stem · staff · kick · bass · mug · pitcher

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bass — low music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mug — to rob
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — child
  18. kick — in football
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitch — completely

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