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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pitch · racket · firm · hand · present · bass · game

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cap — a hat
  7. firm — steady
  8. hand — help
  9. cap — of ice
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. firm — a company
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — decided
  21. present — a gift
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. present — there
  24. racket — for tennis

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