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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: rule · lean · pitch · toast · capital · net · squash · court

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. net — in sport
  3. capital — money
  4. rule — government
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rule — a law
  7. lean — to bend
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. court — of a king
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — completely
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. net — after costs
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — for catching
  21. capital — a city
  22. squash — the sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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