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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: pitch · cue · root · racket · roll · capital · arm · present

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cue — a hint
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. roll — a list
  6. capital — money
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. root — of a plant
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. roll — a cake
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitch — completely
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. present — the time now
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. roll — on a roll

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