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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 116 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: chair · racket · pitch · can · swing · fall · deal · bat

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitch — completely
  9. swing — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — in golf

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