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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: suit · row · capital · pitch · land · lash · jam · ground

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. land — ground
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ground — a position
  16. land — a country
  17. capital — a city
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. suit — clothes
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. capital — money
  22. land — to come down
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ground — the earth

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