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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: bound · degree · scale · roll · pitch · lash · charge · capital

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a city
  4. roll — a list
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bound — certain
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bound — tied together
  9. charge — in control
  10. degree — temperature
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. scale — size or range
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — an amount
  21. capital — money
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. capital — a big letter

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