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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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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: pitch · bowl · pit · content · root · chair · capital · hide

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. root — of a plant
  5. content — the amount
  6. root — of a word
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — the cause
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pit — a hole
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. capital — a city
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chair — a leader

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