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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: hand · cell · dip · pitch · staff · bank · rock · pitcher

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rock — a stone
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rock — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — help
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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