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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 · mine · pop · pitcher · key · lean · jam · rock

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. capital — a city
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pop — soda
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lean — thin
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rock — music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — an explosive

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