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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: band · deal · bowl · spell · net · capital · wound · pitch

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. net — for catching
  3. spell — magic
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — to handle
  17. band — a music group
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. deal — a big deal

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