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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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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: date · bay · pitch · swing · firm · kid · chip · rush

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. firm — decided
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — hurry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. swing — music
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. firm — steady
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. firm — a company
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chip — for betting

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