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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
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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: capital · pitcher · staff · pop · season · game · can · pound

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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