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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 120 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: cap · plane · fork · club · pitch · perch · chest · calf

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. club — for golf
  2. cap — a lid
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cap — of ice
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. club — a group
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — for dancing
  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