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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: jam · bat · mouse · swing · season · cabinet · cue · stick

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bat — the animal
  11. season — of the year
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. season — in sport

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