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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: pitch · toast · rest · snap · capital · pound · row · tear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. toast — bread
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — completely
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rest — a break
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — money
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pound — a weight
  19. row — a line
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rest — what's left
  22. capital — a city
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — for dogs

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