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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: face · can · chip · last · race · key · capital · pitch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. can — to be able to
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — final
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a city
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chip — to eat
  12. race — the arms race
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. race — a contest
  24. chip — for betting

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