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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
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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: pitch · can · capital · march · hide · bowl · tube · bass

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bass — low music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tube — the underground
  24. capital — a city

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