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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: chip · craft · kid · court · stick · pitch

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. court — for sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. kid — child
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chip — for betting
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — of law

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