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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: firm · nail · pop · fork · land · rush · capital · pitch

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — soda
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fork — in a road
  9. firm — decided
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. firm — steady
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rush — hurry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — music
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — to visit
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — a thrill

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