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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 120 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: cell · present · bass · swing · tear · pitch · key · arm

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitch — completely
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. tear — to rip
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bass — the fish
  13. swing — to play on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — in music
  18. present — a gift
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. present — there
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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