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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
468
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: capital · pitch · stick · tube · jam · bat · ball · object

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — an aim
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. object — to protest
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. capital — money
  14. object — a thing
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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