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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
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: dip · stick · pop · perch · lash · court · capital · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — of law
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pop — soda
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. capital — a city
  8. pop — music
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of a king
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. court — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. dip — to sink

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