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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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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: mark · capital · arm · chest · deal · charge · pitch · branch

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mark — a grade
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. charge — in control
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — a division
  12. deal — to handle
  13. capital — money
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chest — of your body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. capital — a city
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mark — a trace

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