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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: club · nail · pitch · mug · racket · season · rash · stem

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. season — of the year
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rash — a series
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — in sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — hasty
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — for dancing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. club — a group
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stem — of a plant

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