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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 116 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 · field · mark · capital · can · cap · object · bowl

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mark — a trace
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — farmland
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — a thing
  16. capital — money
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a grade
  22. object — to protest
  23. field — for sport
  24. capital — a city

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