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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ground · lash · march · swing · stand · capital · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. capital — money
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitch — completely
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — in golf
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. swing — music
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. capital — a city
  24. ground — a position

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