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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: pitcher · kid · deal · key · branch · spell · capital · game

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. key — in music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kid — child
  10. key — for a lock
  11. capital — money
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a match
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — magic
  22. kid — to tease
  23. capital — a city
  24. pitcher — a jug

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