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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 120 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: coach · chest · current · last · file · pitch · capital · mark

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. current — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a document
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. current — happening now
  13. pitch — completely
  14. file — a line of people
  15. capital — a city
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — electric
  18. chest — a box
  19. file — a tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. capital — money
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a trace
  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