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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 · mate · spring · deal · pitch · track · band · swing

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. swing — in golf
  3. track — a path
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mate — a friend
  6. swing — to play on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mate — to breed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spring — of water
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — a partner
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. swing — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. deal — a big deal

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