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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: pitch · capital · straw · racket · lie · ground · cabinet · wound

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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