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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 116 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: bank · capital · pitch · cell · stick · game · file · current

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. file — a tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bank — for money
  8. capital — a city
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — of water
  14. capital — money
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. file — a document
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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