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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: current · mate · pitch · ball · ground · capital · pound · face

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. current — electric
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ball — a great time
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mate — a partner
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. capital — a city
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — a position
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. face — to point toward
  24. capital — a big letter

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