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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.

Make a worksheet

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: object · capital · content · wind · fall · march · bass · pitch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitch — completely
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — an aim
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — the season
  15. content — happy
  16. object — a thing
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. march — the month
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. capital — money
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. object — to protest
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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