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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 120 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: rush · pitch · net · track · nail · capital · foot · snap

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. net — for catching
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. capital — a city
  12. track — a path
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — money
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — after costs
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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