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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.

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: kick · pit · pass · wound · track · staff · capital · pitcher

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. pit — a hole
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a path
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — a song
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. staff — a stick
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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