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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: key · kid · rush · saw · capital · cabinet · pitcher · ball

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — a city
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. key — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. kid — child
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — money
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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