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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: mine · calf · capital · scale · race · branch · pitch · firm

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. firm — steady
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — for digging
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — the arms race
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — decided
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. branch — a division

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