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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. firm — decided
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — steady
  11. capital — money
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chip — for betting
  14. firm — a company
  15. field — a subject
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — for sport

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