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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 · coach · key · mine · wake · nail · capital · rush

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. capital — a city
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pitch — completely
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. capital — money
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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