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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · capital · chip · craft · pitch · wake · bass · hide

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. sharp — clever
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hide — to keep secret

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