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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: last · swing · pit · racket · cue · cabinet · deal · bass

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. last — finally
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. swing — music
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — to go on
  10. swing — to play on
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cue — for pool
  15. last — final
  16. cue — a hint
  17. swing — in golf
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — low music

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