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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 116 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: can · pitch · bat · cue · kick · pitcher · swing · stick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kick — in football
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — for pool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — the animal

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