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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · race · foot · perch · pitcher · capital · season · ball

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. foot — a measure
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — the fish
  18. race — a contest
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — of the year
  24. capital — money

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