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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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468
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: track · pitcher · chest · capital · season · bulb · racket · swing

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. chest — a box
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — a city
  11. season — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — money
  15. swing — music
  16. season — of the year
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. track — a song
  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