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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: club · fine · wind · track · kid · cap · lie · pitch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cap — a lid
  7. track — a song
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — child
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — all right
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — a path
  21. cap — a hat
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lie — to recline

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