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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 120 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: pitch · cap · capital · swing · cabinet · deal · wind · pound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cap — of ice
  6. swing — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — money
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — to play on
  23. deal — a big deal
  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