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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: racket · bat · firm · chest · bay · jam · pitch · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. firm — steady
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. firm — decided
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. firm — a company

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