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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: safe · object · racket · club · cold · pitch · sharp · toast

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pitch — completely
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. object — a thing
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — to protest
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. object — an aim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. club — a group
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. toast — bread

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