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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: lie · wound · cabinet · capital · pitcher · sharp · swing · current

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — in golf
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. swing — to play on
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — happening now
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — electric

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