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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — a coil
  6. capital — a city
  7. present — there
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. court — of law
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — in a road
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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