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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: pitch · capital · net · club · last · bay · cell · cabinet

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. club — for golf
  9. net — for catching
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. club — a group
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. capital — money
  22. net — after costs
  23. cell — a phone
  24. last — final

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