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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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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: swing · ground · pitch · mate · cell · calf · bass · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bass — low music
  16. swing — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ground — a position
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cell — in biology

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