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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: pitcher · pass · root · last · capital · hand · rash · ball

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. capital — a city
  4. pass — a permit
  5. capital — money
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — finally
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. last — to go on

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