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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: pitch · lie · capital · content · pit · game · rock · season

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — of the year
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — in sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — happy
  20. pit — a hole
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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