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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: capital · date · pitch · stick · bowl · leaves · fan · fork

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. capital — money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — completely
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fork — in a road
  18. date — the fruit
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — to roll

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