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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
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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: saw · bat · cap · drill · pitch · spell · capital · foot

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. drill — a practice
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. foot — a measure
  9. drill — army training
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitch — completely
  17. capital — money
  18. cap — a hat
  19. drill — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  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