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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. capital — a big letter
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. court — of law
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chip — to eat
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. chip — for betting
  16. face — part of the head
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. capital — money
  21. pitch — completely
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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