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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: cap · wave · wake · mate · pitch · file · club · kid

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. club — a group
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. file — a document
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mate — a partner
  17. club — for golf
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. file — a tool
  20. kid — child
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wake — before a funeral

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