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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 · scale · club · firm · sharp · season · race · capital

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. club — for golf
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitch — completely
  5. club — a group
  6. race — humankind
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — in sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. firm — decided
  16. club — for dancing
  17. firm — a company
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — in music
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. race — a contest
  24. capital — money

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