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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: firm · pitch · stick · mine · cap · capital · trunk · present

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. cap — of ice
  11. capital — a city
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — a company
  16. present — the time now
  17. firm — decided
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cap — a hat
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — steady
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cap — a lid

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