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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: season · swing · pitch · lash · jam · pass · cell · drill

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. swing — music
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. swing — in golf
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. drill — army training

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