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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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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: bear · pitch · rush · capital · deal · net · row · dip

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — for catching
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. net — after costs
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitch — completely
  18. capital — a city
  19. net — in sport
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. row — a line

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