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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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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: cell · field · snap · swing · pit · pitch · bass · trunk

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pit — in a race
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cell — in biology
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pit — a hole
  15. swing — music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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