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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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468
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 · fine · pitch · club · bark · sharp · mine · scale

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fine — all right
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — to shout
  6. scale — in music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. club — for dancing
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitch — completely

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