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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: sharp · swing · dip · stock · pitch · chair · game · trunk

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitch — completely
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. swing — in golf
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — a leader
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stock — goods
  19. swing — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitch — a sports field

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