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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: mine · pop · foot · capital · vault · pitch · cue · saw

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cue — a hint
  4. capital — money
  5. pop — soda
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pop — music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. pitch — completely
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mine — an explosive

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