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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: coach · capital · land · current · pitch · net · pound · rest

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — ground
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — to come down
  12. current — of water
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. capital — a city
  16. rest — a break
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — after costs
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — a country
  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