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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: coach · pitch · rush · file · tear · pit · capital · chair

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. file — a line of people
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitch — completely
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. file — a document
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. file — a tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tear — from crying

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