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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: trunk · pitch · jam · stick · bat · court · date · race

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. race — a contest
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitch — completely
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. race — humankind
  24. jam — a tight spot

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