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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: pitch · safe · club · root · racket · present · chest · key

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — the cause
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. present — the time now
  13. root — of a word
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — there
  16. root — of a plant
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. key — in music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chest — a box

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