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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: kid · fork · cap · pitch · cue · bowl · lie · court

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. court — for sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — of law
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fork — in a road
  24. court — of a king

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