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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: capital · last · pitch · ball · lean · fine · wound · bound

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bound — certain
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. capital — a city
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lean — thin

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