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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: cap · wake · capital · plane · pitch · staff · calf · fall

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fall — the season
  3. capital — money
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — completely
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — a tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wake — a trail

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