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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: sharp · bank · race · field · leaves · stick · capital · pitch

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — a subject
  7. bank — for money
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. field — for sport
  15. capital — a city
  16. race — humankind
  17. bank — of a river
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. race — a contest
  23. capital — money
  24. leaves — of a tree

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