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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: bay · straw · pitch · court · arm · coach · capital · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of a king
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — money
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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