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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: dip · craft · degree · court · pitch · racket · track · race

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — humankind
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — for sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a path
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. degree — an amount
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — temperature
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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