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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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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: pitcher · drill · deal · capital · saw · wound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — the tool
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. drill — army training

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