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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 120 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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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 · bear · scale · spell · bound · rash · capital · coach

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — certain
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. scale — size or range
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spell — letters
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. capital — money

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