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

Word bank: fork · wave · pitch · capital · lie · straw

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lie — to recline
  6. capital — money
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wave — with your hand

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