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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: staff · pop · capital · game · pitch · fan · vault · scale

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. game — a match
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — a safe
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. scale — size or range
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. scale — in music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. game — wild animals
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — money
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitch — completely

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