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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 · lean · object · jam · band · pitch · last · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. object — a thing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a music group
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — finally
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. lean — thin
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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