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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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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitch — completely
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — money
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cap — a lid
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — for tennis

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