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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · capital · wound · pitch · stock · toast

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — in a race
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a city
  6. toast — bread
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — money
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitch — completely

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