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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: capital · bulb · staff · mouse · field · key · game · pitch

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. game — a match
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — money
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — completely
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. key — in music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — a stick
  24. key — for a lock

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