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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: wake · pitch · spell · mark · pit · tear · capital · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. capital — money
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pit — in a race
  22. capital — a city
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitch — a sports field

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