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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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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: pass · bore · capital · pitch · cell · craft · calf · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. craft — a skill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — money
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pass — to spend time

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