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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. capital — money
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — final
  13. pit — in a race
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — finally
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fine — all right
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fine — high quality

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