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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: capital · rule · foot · lash · pitch · pit

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rule — government
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rule — a law
  10. capital — a city
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — completely
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash

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