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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: jam · lean · pitch · calf · capital · field · fall · bowl

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — money
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — a city
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lean — thin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. field — a subject

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