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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: mug · spell · row · pound · jam · kid · capital · mark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. kid — child
  4. mug — a cup
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. capital — a city
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spell — a short time
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. row — a line
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — a grade
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pound — a weight
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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