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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: pitch · key · row · chair · mug · capital · date · straw

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. row — a line
  3. key — in music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. capital — a city
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — for a lock
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. date — the fruit
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. key — the most important part
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mug — a face

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