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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: wake · row · cap · fork · pitch · club · can · lie

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. club — for golf
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a lid
  13. can — a tin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fork — in a road
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. club — for dancing
  24. row — a line

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