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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: cabinet · clip · key · craft · pitch · capital · pound · vault

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. capital — money
  10. vault — a safe
  11. capital — a city
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. clip — a video
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pound — to hit hard

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