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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: degree · bay · fine · wake · capital · coach · pitch · rush

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. coach — a trainer

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