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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: charge · capital · pitch · snap · branch · bowl · racket · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. snap — to click
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. capital — money
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. foot — a measure
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitch — completely
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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