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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: capital · lash · ball · root · date · pitch · chest · key

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. root — of a word
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. root — the cause
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chest — a box
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ball — a dance
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. key — the most important part
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pitch — completely
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. key — in music

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