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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: chest · suit · game · date · cap · club · pitch · stick

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cap — a lid
  6. suit — to fit
  7. game — a match
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cap — a hat
  10. suit — clothes
  11. club — a group
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. chest — a box
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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