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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — final
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. last — finally
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. suit — in cards
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — a line
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. suit — to fit
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. suit — clothes
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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