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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: racket · pitch · sharp · craft · content · cap · chair · club

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cap — a lid
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — a hat
  7. club — for golf
  8. craft — boats
  9. chair — a leader
  10. sharp — clever
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — happy
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. content — the amount
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. craft — a skill

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