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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: straw · swing · date · cue · pitch · pit · dip · rock

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cue — for pool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cue — a hint
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rock — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. swing — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. date — the fruit
  24. straw — dry grass

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