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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 116 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: prune · court · club · pitch · craft · present · last · ball

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — finally
  6. ball — a dance
  7. club — a group
  8. craft — a skill
  9. present — there
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. club — for golf
  16. craft — boats
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — of a king
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — final
  24. prune — to trim

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