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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: mate · pitch · lean · swing · track · bowl · bark · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mate — to breed
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. track — a song
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. track — a path
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — a partner
  19. capital — a city
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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