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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: pitch · club · jam · degree · rest · nail · rash · court

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — from a university
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. club — for golf
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — of law
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — of a king
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — hasty
  19. degree — an amount
  20. court — for sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — a group
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pitch — completely

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