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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: plane · mouse · pitcher · shower · stock · spell · cap · capital

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — rain
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — money
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — letters
  19. cap — a lid
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. spell — magic
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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