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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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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: bound · club · straw · pitch · snap · pitcher · capital · chip

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitch — completely
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — obliged
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. chip — to eat
  10. snap — to click
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chip — for betting
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — money
  18. bound — tied together
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. capital — a city
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitcher — a jug

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