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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: cold · rock · march · capital · pitch · key · ball · plane

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. plane — a tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. march — music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — music
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. capital — a city
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — money
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — the Cold War

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