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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: capital · kick · sharp · pound · pitch · rule · temple · chip

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. capital — a city
  5. rule — government
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. capital — money
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. kick — in football
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. chip — for betting
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rule — a law
  24. temple — side of the head

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