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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 120 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: pitcher · ball · mark · capital · spell · mine · tube · key

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — a grade
  3. capital — money
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — a city
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spell — a short time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. spell — letters
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tube — a container
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mine — for digging

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