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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: hand · bowl · lean · pitch · bank · staff · lie · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lean — thin
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. staff — employees
  21. bank — for money
  22. hand — help
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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