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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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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: pit · saw · arm · capital · field · chip · net · bank

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — a city
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chip — for betting
  13. capital — money
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — after costs
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. net — in sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — for catching
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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