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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. can — to be able to
  3. capital — a city
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mug — a cup
  9. can — a tin
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — final
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — to go on
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitcher — a jug

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