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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · key · pitcher · lash · hand · mouse · row · chest

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — the most important part
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. row — to paddle
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. key — in music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — a city
  24. chest — a box

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