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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitch — completely
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. march — the month
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. shower — rain
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. net — after costs
  24. march — the month

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