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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 116 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: mine · pitch · rush · season · capital · wound · rock · vault

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitch — completely
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rock — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. season — in sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rock — a stone

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