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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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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: pop · pitcher · cell · pit · chest · swing · bulb · game

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pop — music
  4. game — a match
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pop — soda
  18. swing — to play on
  19. game — wild animals
  20. swing — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bulb — for light

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