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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · suit · field · pitch · bay · foot · capital · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. capital — a city
  3. suit — in cards
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — completely
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. game — a match
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. capital — money
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. degree — an amount
  20. game — wild animals
  21. suit — clothes
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — farmland
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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