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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: cap · court · last · pound · current · pitcher · capital · pit

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. last — to go on
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. capital — money
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cap — a lid
  11. current — electric
  12. last — finally
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. court — for sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. court — of a king
  17. current — of water
  18. pit — in a race
  19. last — final
  20. capital — a city
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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