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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · clip · bark · rock · charge · bowl · tube · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tube — a container
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — a city
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — to shout
  22. charge — a price
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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