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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. present — a gift
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. key — in music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — of a king
  11. plane — a tool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. court — of law
  14. capital — a city
  15. key — for a lock
  16. court — for sport
  17. present — there
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. plane — an aircraft

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