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

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chip — for betting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. drill — army training
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. capital — a city
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spring — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. capital — money

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