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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: pitch · spell · season · ground · current · capital · fan · rush

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. current — happening now
  3. season — of the year
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — of water
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. current — electric
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. spell — a short time
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spell — letters
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — completely
  22. spell — magic
  23. season — in sport
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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