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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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. net — after costs
  4. key — in music
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitch — completely
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rest — a break
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — in control
  17. scale — in music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — for catching
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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