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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. swing — music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rush — hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fork — in a road
  16. scale — in music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pass — a permit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. capital — a city

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