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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: wave · fork · stand · bound · capital · ground · net · pitch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. capital — money
  4. net — after costs
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stand — to bear
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ground — a position
  20. net — for catching
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fork — in a road

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