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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: press · plane · swing · bay · capital · racket · pitch · bass

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — a tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. swing — music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — completely
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bass — low music
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the fish

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