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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: capital · hand · suit · pitch · club · bore · row · last

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a city
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — money
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. last — to go on
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. suit — in cards
  18. club — a group
  19. last — final
  20. club — for dancing
  21. suit — clothes
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. row — a line

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