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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: pit · court · jam · club · pitch · present · deal · perch

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — for sport
  3. present — there
  4. pitch — completely
  5. club — for dancing
  6. deal — to handle
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pit — in a race
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — of a king
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. present — a gift

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