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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: capital · squash · stock · nail · pitch · sharp · lie · ball

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — shares
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stock — goods
  11. capital — a city
  12. pitch — completely
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lie — to recline
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — on a finger

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