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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: squash · pitch · rush · spring · race · club · racket · jam

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. spring — the season
  5. club — for golf
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. club — a group
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitch — completely
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spring — of water
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. race — a contest
  20. club — for dancing
  21. race — the arms race
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. squash — to crush
  24. race — humankind

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