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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: chest · fork · bay · capital · mug · pass · pitch · fall

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chest — a box
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — the season
  15. mug — a cup
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mug — a face
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — to eat with

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