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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 116 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: saw · mouse · leaves · pitch · dip · capital · land · race

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. dip — to sink
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. land — a country
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. race — a contest
  18. land — ground
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mouse — the animal

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