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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: capital · can · last · board · present · face · pitcher · tube

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. board — a committee
  5. present — the time now
  6. last — to go on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. can — to be able to
  9. present — a gift
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. present — there
  15. tube — a container
  16. capital — money
  17. can — a tin
  18. board — to get on
  19. last — final
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. last — finally
  23. face — to point toward
  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