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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: pitch · capital · branch · last · coach · jam · pop · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — finally
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — to go on
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — music
  13. last — final
  14. branch — a division
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pop — soda
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — completely

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