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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: court · fan · kid · cap · pitch · calf · club · suit

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. club — for dancing
  5. suit — in cards
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — a group
  8. suit — clothes
  9. kid — child
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of law
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — completely
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cap — a hat
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cap — of ice
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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