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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: pitch · mark · chair · craft · capital · current · game · suit

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. current — of water
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — a city
  6. current — happening now
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. craft — boats
  18. mark — a trace
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — completely
  23. current — electric
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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