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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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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: bat · cue · sharp · pit · kid · march · pitch · mouse

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kid — child
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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