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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: cap · toast · racket · swing · pitch · lean · spring · dip

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cap — a hat
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. swing — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. toast — bread
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — to bend
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spring — a coil
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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