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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: calf · bat · pitch · cabinet · wound · lash · present · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. present — a gift
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — money
  11. present — the time now
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. present — there
  23. capital — a city
  24. pitch — completely

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