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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: content · suit · capital · ball · leaves · root · pitch · arm

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. suit — to fit
  4. capital — a city
  5. root — of a plant
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. suit — clothes
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. root — the cause
  15. suit — in cards
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. root — of a word
  18. capital — money
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a great time
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. content — videos and posts

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