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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 120 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 · patient · wind · key · pitch · firm · bore · calf

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. firm — steady
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. key — for a lock
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. firm — decided
  8. pitch — completely
  9. capital — money
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — in music
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. firm — a company
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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