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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fine · chip · capital · wound · jam · pitch · cold

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — money
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fine — all right
  15. cold — not warm
  16. capital — a city
  17. chip — to eat
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chip — for betting

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