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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 · stick · pit · lean · bat · swing · arm · ball

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lean — to bend
  6. swing — to play on
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. swing — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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