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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: capital · prune · bowl · club · march · bay · saw · pitch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — for golf
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. club — for dancing
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — completely

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