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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: ground · swing · craft · club · fork · key · fan · pitch

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitch — completely
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. club — for dancing
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. club — for golf
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. swing — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — crushed
  17. club — a group
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — in golf
  24. key — in music

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