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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 120 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — farmland
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ground — the earth
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. land — a country
  18. mug — a cup
  19. field — for sport
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ground — a position
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitch — a sports field

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