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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
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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: rash · capital · wound · season · ground · current · pitch · rush

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. current — of water
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — in sport
  15. capital — money
  16. current — electric
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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