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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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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: pit · lash · spell · pitch · capital · wake · key · bat

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitch — completely
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — in music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spell — letters
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — to lash out

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