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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: pitch · suit · staff · cell · fall · chair · stick · bat

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fall — to drop
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chair — a leader
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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