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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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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: stem · cap · bore · pitch · capital · bound · snap · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bound — obliged
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. snap — to click
  20. toast — bread
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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