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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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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: cap · nail · bass · drill · court · object · pitch · swing

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. object — an aim
  6. court — of law
  7. cap — a lid
  8. drill — the tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — for sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of a king
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — a hat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. drill — army training
  22. swing — music
  23. object — to protest
  24. nail — on a finger

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