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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · bass · deal · bat · pitch · snap · coach · rush

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — low music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. key — in music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pitch — completely
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bass — the instrument

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