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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: pitch · patient · cap · mine · trunk · file · club · kid

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — a group
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a lid
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cap — of ice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — to tease
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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