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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 120 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: pitch · fan · capital · bass · board · key · pound · fine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — in music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fine — all right
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. capital — money
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. fan — a supporter

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