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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 116 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 · mark · squash · last · bear · capital · snap · sharp

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitch — completely
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. last — final
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — finally
  16. mark — a grade
  17. capital — a city
  18. sharp — clever
  19. squash — the sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — exactly

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