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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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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: race · pitch · cap · court · club · can · bank · chair

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chair — a leader
  3. race — a contest
  4. bank — of a river
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cap — a hat
  7. court — of a king
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. club — a group
  10. race — humankind
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. court — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bank — for money
  16. court — of law
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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