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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: pop · spell · bowl · chair · pitcher · can · pit · cap

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. spell — letters
  11. pop — soda
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pop — to visit

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