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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.

Words on the sheet
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: pass · pitch · calf · spell · stem · capital · firm · press

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — letters
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — completely
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spell — a short time
  8. firm — decided
  9. capital — money
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. press — to push
  13. firm — steady
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stem — to come from
  22. firm — a company
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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