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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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 big letter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a city
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. march — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pitch — completely
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. deal — to handle
  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