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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 120 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: bulb · club · present · capital · mark · pitch · saw · cue

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. present — there
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. present — a gift
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cue — a hint
  21. present — the time now
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. capital — a big letter

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