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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — a city
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pitch — completely
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — a safe
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. capital — money
  16. degree — an amount
  17. present — a gift
  18. craft — boats
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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