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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: ball · pitch · wake · capital · root · arm · rock · stand

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rock — a stone
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. root — of a word
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rock — music
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. root — the cause
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. arm — part of the body

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