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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — a cup
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mug — a face
  11. hand — help
  12. mug — to rob
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. capital — a city
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. dip — to sink

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