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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: pitch · band · mate · pit · plane · spring · ruler · capital

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. band — a music group
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pit — in a race
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — to breed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a ring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. capital — money
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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