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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
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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: cap · last · pitcher · capital · bore · kid · bank · game

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bank — for money
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. game — a match
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. last — final
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — to go on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cap — a hat

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