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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
468
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 · capital · press · object · coach · cabinet · swing · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — a city
  7. object — a thing
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — to push
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. swing — music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. swing — in golf
  19. club — for golf
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. club — a group
  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