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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 120 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: swing · season · straw · pitch · track · suit · cell · race

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — in golf
  8. suit — to fit
  9. race — humankind
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — in sport
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. swing — music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitch — completely
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. track — to keep track
  23. race — a contest
  24. suit — in cards

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