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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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468
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: capital · pitcher · saw · tube · bowl · season · sharp · pitch

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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