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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: sharp · capital · wax · stick · game · plane · pitch · fan

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. capital — a city
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — wild animals
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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