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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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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: pit · game · roll · prune · pitch · swing · coach · bear

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a list
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pit — in a race
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. swing — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. swing — in golf

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