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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: bank · cue · pitch · ground · land · capital · bay · lash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bank — of a river
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. capital — money
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — ground
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — crushed
  16. land — to come down
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — completely
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. land — a country
  24. ground — a position

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