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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: fall · drill · current · jam · cell · hand · pitch · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. current — of water
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. drill — army training
  5. swing — music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fall — to drop
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — help
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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