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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: cue · pitch · march · racket · calf · bass · bulb · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. march — the month
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bulb — for light
  11. march — the month
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cue — for pool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — low music
  18. march — music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cue — a signal

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