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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.

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: can · pitcher · field · mate · fan · drill · mouse · capital

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — a friend
  11. field — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mate — to breed
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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