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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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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: cap · mate · stem · patient · content · capital · club · pitch

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pitch — completely
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. capital — a city
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — for golf
  19. cap — a lid
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — a group
  22. capital — money
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — to breed

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