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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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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: fork · pitcher · present · bass · ground · can · pitch · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. can — to be able to
  5. present — there
  6. ground — crushed
  7. present — a gift
  8. bass — low music
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. can — a tin
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitch — completely

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