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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kid — child
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a city
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. court — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of a king
  13. dip — to sink
  14. kid — to tease
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — a subject
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. court — of law
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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