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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: row · club · cap · pass · court · trunk · kid · pitch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. club — a group
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. court — of law
  20. club — for golf
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. row — a line
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. club — for dancing

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