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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: bay · plane · pitch · capital · file · cap · sharp · calf

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cap — a lid
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. capital — a city
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitch — completely
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. plane — a tool

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