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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. content — the amount
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — a city
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rock — music
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — happy
  20. capital — money
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — an eyelash

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