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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: kid · wave · bass · pitch · track · swing · chest · pit

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitch — completely
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. kid — to tease
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pit — a hole
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. swing — music
  24. track — a path

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