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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: club · pitcher · capital · saw · pass · ground · bat · toast

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. club — for golf
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. capital — a city
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pass — a permit
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ground — crushed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — a position
  23. capital — money
  24. club — a group

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