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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pitch · mate · lie · toast · straw · capital · fan · spell

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. capital — money
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — to recline
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. toast — bread
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a city
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mate — a friend

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