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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: prune · jam · capital · pitcher · bay · chair · foot · ball

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. prune — to trim
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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