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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 · club · fan · craft · row · kid · foot · court

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. club — a group
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cap — a lid
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kid — child
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — a skill
  11. court — of a king
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — for sport
  16. kid — to tease
  17. court — of law
  18. cap — a hat
  19. club — for dancing
  20. row — a line
  21. club — for golf
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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