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

Word bank: saw · ruler · deal · racket · pitch · spell · capital · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spell — magic
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. club — for dancing
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — money
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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