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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 120 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: craft · club · rush · sharp · season · pitch · patient · swing

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. club — for golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — clever
  14. club — for dancing
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. club — a group
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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