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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: chip · stick · vault · band · bulb · pitch · capital · row

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chip — for betting
  6. row — to paddle
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. capital — money
  12. row — a line
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. capital — a city
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. band — a music group
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. band — a ring
  23. bulb — for light
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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