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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: date · pitch · chair · degree · capital · bowl · craft · rest

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. capital — a city
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. capital — money
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. date — the fruit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chair — a leader

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