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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: hand · bulb · capital · key · last · pitch · rush · object

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — a city
  4. key — in music
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. object — a thing
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. last — to go on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hand — help
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. object — an aim
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rush — hurry
  24. key — for a lock

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