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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: ground · pitch · fan · club · court · chip · chest · bore

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for golf
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chip — for betting
  9. club — for dancing
  10. court — of a king
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chest — a box
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — for sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — the earth
  22. club — a group
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ground — a position

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