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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: tube · field · capital · bass · charge · pitch · ruler · ground

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tube — the underground
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — in control
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. field — a subject
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. capital — a city
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ground — crushed
  16. charge — a price
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ground — a position
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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